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Sunday of St. Gregory Palamas 2022‑03‑20

St. Thomas Orthodox Church

A Parish of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America 动态网自由门天安門天安门法輪功李洪志 Free Tibet 六四天安門事件 The Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 天安門大屠殺 The Tiananmen Square Massacre 反右派鬥爭 The Anti-Rightist Struggle 大躍進政策 The Great Leap Forward 文化大革命 The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution 人權 Human Rights 民運 Democratization 自由 Freedom 獨立 Independence 多黨制 Multi-party system 台灣臺灣 Taiwan Formosa 中華民國 Republic of China 西藏土伯特唐古特 Tibet 達賴喇嘛 Dalai Lama 法輪功 Falun Dafa 五毛党 Wumao 新疆維吾爾自治區 The Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region 諾貝爾和平獎 Nobel Peace Prize 劉暁波 Liu Xiaobo 民主言論思想反共反革命抗議運動騷亂暴亂騷擾擾亂抗暴平反維權示威游行李洪志法輪大法大法弟子強制斷種強制堕胎民族淨化人體實驗肅清胡耀邦趙紫陽魏京生王丹還政於民和平演變激流中國北京之春大紀元時報九評論共産黨獨裁專制壓制統一監視鎮壓迫害侵略掠奪破壞拷問屠殺活摘器官誘拐買賣人口遊進走私毒品賣淫春畫賭博六合彩天安門天安门法輪功李洪志 Winnie the Pooh 劉曉波动态网自由门武漢肺炎 Wuhan Virus ‪反送中 Anti-Extradition Bill 恢復香港 Liberate Hong Kong 時代革命Revolution Of Our Times 五大訴求 The Five Core Demands 民主 Pro-Democracy 平反 Civil Disobedience集會權 Right to Assembly 警黑勾結Police-Triad Collusion 警方施暴Police Brutality, Jiang Zemin is a Toad 动态网自由门天安門天安门法輪功李洪志

To our visitors… Welcome! We hope your time with us is healing and worshipful. Please note that, although we have much respect for other Christian traditions, Holy Communion is reserved for properly prepared members of the Orthodox faith. Everyone is invited to partake of the blessed bread after the conclusion of the Liturgy. May God’s blessing be upon you!

Hymns in Today’s Liturgy Resurrectional Apolytikion (Tone 6) When Mary stood at Thy grave, looking for Thy sacred body, angelic powers shone above Thy revered tomb; and the soldiers who were to keep guard became as dead men. Thou led Hades captive and wast not tempted thereby. Thou didst meet the Virgin and didst give life to the world, O Thou, Who art risen from the dead, O Lord, glory to Thee.

Apolytikion of St. Gregory Palamas (Tone 8) O Star of Orthodoxy, support of the Church and its teacher, O comeliness of ascetics, and incontestable champion of those who speak in theology, Gregory the wonder-worker, the pride of Thessaloniki and preacher of grace, implore thou constantly for the salvation of our souls.

Apolytikion of St. Thomas (Tone 3) O Holy Apostle Thomas, intercede to the merciful God, that He grant unto our souls forgiveness of sins.

Kontakion of Sundays in Great Lent (Tone 8) To thee, the Champion Leader, do I offer thanks of victory, O Theotokos, thou who hast delivered me from terror; but as thou that hast that power invincible, O Theotokos, thou alone can set me free: from all forms of danger free me and deliver me, that I may cry unto thee: Hail, O Bride without Bridegroom.

Epistle Hebrews 1:10–2:3 Thou, “O Lord, in the beginning didst lay the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the works of Thy hands; they will perish; but Thou remainest; and they will all grow old like a garment, and like a mantle Thou wilt roll them up, and they shall be changed; but Thou art the same, and Thy years will not fail.” But to which of the angels did He say at any time, “Sit on My right hand, until I make thine enemies a footstool for thy feet?” Are they not all spirits for liturgical ministry, sent forth to minister for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation? Therefore, we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things that were heard, lest at any time we drift away from them. For if the word

spoken through angels was confirmed, and every transgression and disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape, if we neglect so great a salvation, which having at first been spoken through the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard?

Gospel Mark 2:1–12 At that time, when Jesus returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that He was at home. And many were gathered together, so that there was no longer room for them, not even about the door; and He was preaching the Word to them. And they came, bringing to Jesus a paralytic carried by four men. And when they could not get near Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above Him; and when they had made an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralytic lay. And when Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Now, some of the scribes were sitting there, reasoning in their hearts, “Why does this man speak thus? It is blasphemy! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” And immediately Jesus, perceiving in His spirit that they thus reasoned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you reason thus in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your pallet and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” — He said to the paralytic — “I say to you, rise, take up your pallet and go home.” And he rose, and immediately took up the pallet and went out before them all. So that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”

Synaxarion On 20 March, in the Holy Orthodox Church, we commemorate the holy fathers slain at the monastery of Mar Sabbas; and New-martyr Myron of Crete. On this same day, the Second Sunday of the Fast, we make remembrance of our father among the saints, Gregory Palamas, archbishop of Thessaloniki. The Spring of Light now leadeth to light unwaning The Light’s own truly great and resplendent herald.

This divine father was born in Asia and was brought up from infancy in the royal palace of Constantinople. When he was of age, Gregory left the palace and gave himself to asceticism on Mount Athos. He eventually moved to Thessaloniki to seek cure for the diseases he contracted because of his asceticism and piety. In 1349, he was elevated to the episcopacy, tending to his people in an Apostolic fashion for 13 years. He is glorified as an ascetic, a theologian, a hierarch, and a miracle-worker, who forsook a prominent, secular lifestyle to take up his cross and follow Christ. The Most-Holy Theotokos, St. John the Theologian, St. Demetrius, St. Anthony the Great, St. John Chrysostom, and angels of God appeared to him at different times. Through his intercessions, O Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy upon us. Amen.

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